Doomed at the Start: American Pursuit Pilots in the Philippines, 1941-1942

Bartsch, an economist historian of WW II in the Pacific, offers an admirably-detailed history of the five fighter squadrons deployed in the Philippine Islands on Dec. 7, 1941. With most of their planes destroyed or damaged in the inital Japanese attacks, the survivors fought on against overwhelming odds. From archives and extensive interviews, Bartsch pieces together the story of an effort ``doomed at the start.'' Noting that a high percentage of the men who stood in the front lines of the Philippines' defense were barely out of flight school, he cites their inexperience to help explain the pilot's difficulty adjusting their tactics to match those of their skillful opponents. Avoiding questions of strategy and policy, Bartsch also ignores the role of U.S. bombers in the Philippine campaign. Within these limits, however, the work will interest to both aviation buffs and students of WW II. Photos not seen by PW. (June)